Correspondence, 1954-2002

Component identifier:

Series 1

Content Summary:

The series contains personal correspondence of Martin, mostly dating from the last 25 years of his life when he was living in Canberra. Most of the correspondence is with other historians and students, but there are occasional letters from public figures. There are a few references. Martin sometimes kept copies of his own letters. Many of the letters deal with his work on the biography of Robert Menzies and the writings of other historians on related subjects.

Martin created files for some of his correspondents, while other letters were filed under the initial letter. Near the end of his life he filed some letters by date. The files have been kept intact.

Among the correspondents in the alphabetical files (1-24) are Marian Aveling (Quartly), John and Margaret Barrett, Geoffrey Bolton, Richard Bosworth, Paul Bourke, Chris Connolly, L.F. Crisp, Ann Curthoys, Brian De Garis, Greg Dening, Peter Edwards, Richard Ely, Keith Farrer, Brian Fitzpatrick, Cameron Hazlehurst, Bill Hudson, Rhys Isaac, Roger Louis, D.A. Low, Fred McKay, Michael McKernan, Bruce Mansfield, Alan Mayne, John Mulvaney, John O'Brien, Heather Radi, John Ritchie, Lloyd Robson, Tim Rowse, Peter Ryan, Deryck Schreuder, A.G.L. Shaw, George Shaw, Gavin Souter, Hugh Stretton and John M. Ward.

Immediate source of acquisition:

Allan Martin carried out much of his research on the life of Robert Menzies in the National Library and became closely acquainted with its reading rooms and staff. In 1998 he acknowledged a debt to his friends in the Manuscript Room 'who over months, nay years, took it in their stride that I had become something of a permanent fixture in their hallowed precincts'. It was therefore appropriate that in 2001 Martin should lodge his extensive research materials and indexes on Menzies in the Library. They now form series 10-13 of the Martin Papers. In 2003 his wife Beryl Rawson presented the correspondence and other files that form series 1-9 of the papers.

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